Coordinated Robotic Exploration of Dynamic Open Ocean Phenomena

The study of dynamic features of the ocean, in which complex physical, chemical, and biological interactions evolve on multiple time scales, poses significant sampling challenges because the required spatial and temporal resolutions are not possible by ship or satellite studies alone. Satellite remote sensing captures only surface effects while expensive research vessels can only make discrete observations in finite periods of time. Our work with networked marine robotics in the aerial, surface, and underwater domains is at the vanguard of a new approach to scientific exploration and observation, which brings together several technologies to enable oceanographic vessels and robots to work in tandem, thus expanding the observational footprint of these vessels. We describe a scientific cruise in the Spring of 2018 in the open waters of the Pacific where we deployed a fleet of autonomous robots to demonstrate this approach for the synoptic observation of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale features of a frontal zone. We articulate the elements and methods to multi-vehicle coordination and challenges that lie ahead in ocean observation.